Marriage for Same Sex-Couples in Washington: Immigration Considerations-On November 6, 2012, Washington voters approved Referendum 74, which enables same-sex couples to be married under Washington state law. The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington (ACLU-WA) and the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) have partnered to address issues relevant to same-sex couples where one or both partners are not U.S. Citizens, as their marriage may have an impact on their immigration status. However, much of that impact is still not resolved. Although immigration law does not preclude any person in Washington State from getting married regardless of their citizenship or immigration status, the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) precludes the federal government from recognizing marriages of same-sex couples. In accordance with DOMA, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) does not currently approve petitions filed by a spouse on behalf of a same-sex spouse. However, the United States Supreme Court has just accepted review a challenge to DOMA, which means that DOMA could be struck down as soon as next June. If you would like more information, or learn the ways in which Referendum 74 may impact same-sex couples, please clickhere.

Other Resources

Private Attorney List – This list compiled by NWIRP includes attorneys in the Seattle area, who represent immigrants and detainees. Several of them speak a foreign language (included in the list are attorney offices who speak Spanish, Japanese, Russian, French, Korean, Portuguese and German).

Guide for Detained Immigrants (English) - This pamphlet by Northwest Immigrant Rights Project is given to detained immigrants by our attorneys as an educational tool that helps them understand some potential ways to defend their immigration cases. Español